The University of Northern BC spent $229,081 processing student tuition payments made with credit cards last year.
The majority of other BC universities do not accept plastic for tuition due to those fees, instead opting to funnel that money into other services.
But UNBC’s Vice President of Finance, Robert Knight says they’ve made a conscious decision here, with a goal of keeping their doors open to as many students as possible.
“We feel particularly up here in the north, that there are many students that might not be able to come up with all the money to pay the full price each semester. So this gives them an opportunity to still be able to attend here.”
He says it’s all about accessibility, and that the large price is “well worth it, because of the quality of the students that we get here on our campus and our reputation as being accessible.”
He says diversity of all types, including financial, is important to building a strong student body.
Even if the school tripled in size and that credit card bill went with it, Knight says they would likely still accept credit cards.